The invention concerns a method and an apparatus for the submerged growth of human and animal cell cultures per se, as well as cell cultures bound on microcarriers.
The growth of diploid cell cultures on solid supports is known. As supports for the cultures, so-called Roux flasks are used. With these flasks, only the air situated above the culture and the nutrient substrate serves for fumigation of the culture. Roller flasks constitute a further development, in which the nutrient medium is slowly moved so that gas exchange is expedited. It is also known to use rotating glass plates or glass tubes, which are immersed completely or partially in a culture medium. Herewith the effective surfaces, upon which the tissue cells can grow, are significantly greater.
Growth of cells on hollow fibers has also been described, for further increase of the effective surface. These comprise semi-permeable tube-like membranes.
A method and an apparatus is known from German patent publication DE-OS No. 2 319 120, with which tissue cells can colonize on the outer surface of a bundle of hollow filaments. The hollow filaments are composed of cellulose acetate and good gas-permeable silane-polycarbonate-copolymers. Nutrient material enriched with oxygen is led into the interior of the hollow filaments; the products of metabolism are discharged from the interior across the hollow filament membrane.
German patent publication DE-OS No. 24 31 450 also describes a method for the cultivation of cells using hollow filaments. Cells are bound aseptically to an outer or inner surface of atoxic hollow filament membranes. Air is led by pulsating flow through the interior of these hollow filament membranes.
A disadvantage is that a second layer of cells often forms in the generated layer of cells, which is cut off from gas exchange, the result being that its cells proceed to necrosis. The same occurs with cells still in suspension, which settle out.
The common disadvantage of all of these growth methods involving tissue cells fixed on a surface is that possible control of the physiological state of the culture is poor.